


Chasm

by sigye



Category: Korean Actor RPF, Super Junior
Genre: Gen, M/M, more friendship than romance but you can squint, them through the years (specifically 2010 lol)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 11:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4018852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sigye/pseuds/sigye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One is a fresh-faced rookie and the other has a decade and a half of experience. Can they see eye to eye?<br/>Is it even worth trying?</p><p>(Alternatively, how two D'Artagnans got to know each other and all the bumps along the way.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> Set in 2010, with the beginning of the TTM musical.

The first time Kijoon sees him, he’s wilting into himself and trying not to cry, in the middle of the practice room surrounded by a large crowd.

Coming quietly along the side of the room, he sees where Min Youngki and Kim Publae are sitting and goes to join them.

“Hyung,” he murmurs in greeting, leaning into Youngki’s brief hug. “What’s up? Who’s that kid, and what did he do wrong?” It’s certainly not unheard of for someone to be scolded that harshly, but it is the first day of rehearsal after all. In fact, the rehearsal itself has barely begun. This might be some kind of record.

Publae claps him on the shoulder as the two make space for him next to them as he takes his hat off, running his hand through his hair before replacing it.

“He hasn’t done anything wrong,” Youngki answers, stretching. (Kijoon’s mind automatically adds a _yet_.) “He’s the new D’Artagnan for this run though, that kid from Super Junior. Cho Kyuhyun.”

Looking at him again, Kijoon isn’t much impressed. This Cho Kyuhyun, whoever he is, doesn’t look like much. As he watches dispassionately, the boy continues to sink into himself under the combined scrutiny of the director, a handful of senior actors, and some of the technical crew and members of the ensemble. His shoulders begin curving down, and he can’t seem to look up from the ground as the director calls for him to repeat the scene, to be louder and have more emotion.

This Kyuhyun gulps, visibly distressed and getting more and more flustered. This time he fumbles with the lines as well, sounding more and more choked up until he finally stops trying and bows his head. Tears slip out, sluicing down his cheeks and dripping to the ground.

Kijoon looks away and feels his lip curling in what’s almost disdain.

That rookie will certainly have his work cut out for him.

ㅇㅇㅇ

The first time Kyuhyun sees him, it’s as he enters the practice room with a bright (if slightly tired) smile and enthusiastically greets some of the other senior actors, even the most intimidating one. He even _hugs_ them, and that’s what causes the first small pang of envy inside Kyuhyun — he wants to be treated like that too, even though he knows logically that he’s just starting out here and there’s no way for him to have already earned that respect, that affection. ( _Yet_ , he insists to himself almost belligerently, trying to swallow the stubborn knot of nerves lodged firmly in his throat.)

Logic doesn’t ease the tense churning of his stomach or the way he feels like there’s a spotlight on him, highlighting his many inadequacies. It doesn’t make his fingers tremble any less or make it easier for him to hide it by curling his hands into fists. It doesn’t stop the way he automatically cringes into himself when anybody so much as glances in his direction, and it certainly doesn’t help with the almost-vicious envy that flares up when he sees this Uhm Kijoon begin to act.

The older man continues on, slipping into character as easily as breathing. True, it’s rough (the others offer thoughtful critiques, taking his responses into consideration and nodding in understanding; something inside him aches at that sight too), but it’s to be expected on the first day.

Regardless, Kijoon is lightyears ahead of him, and Kyuhyun feels his eyes burn as he closes them tightly.

If that’s who he’s going to be compared with, then he certainly has quite a ways to go.


	2. Impressions [1 of 2]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This...isn't as good as I think I wanted it to be, but I've been staring at it for so long that it doesn't look like English anymore. So.

Kijoon doesn’t think it bodes well for the new rookie when he shows up late to practice on just day three.

He’s not the only one, and Junsang is walking around with a thunderous expression on his face. The basin of water is already waiting for the late arrivals.

Shaking his head minutely, Kijoon turns and goes with one of the tech crew to get measured for his costume. He’s telling the man there his shirt size when he hears the beginning of an impressive tirade, and it continues until Kijoon’s trying on a pair of boots.

Testing them out, he makes his way to the doorway of the practice hall and sees the two unfortunate latecomers standing at the center of an informal semi-circle made up of the rest of the people in the room. They’re dripping water from their hair and faces, bowing and apologizing repeatedly to the room at large. Kijoon can’t help but notice — Kyuhyun, that was his name, he thinks unwillingly — that the brittle composure on the younger man’s face can’t hide the mortified color flaring up to the tips of his ears. Well, at least he's stopped any waterworks of his own.

To his credit (and the other young man’s), the scolding is taken as much in stride as possible. When Junsang snaps at them to get cleaned up as soon as possible so that everyone can stop wasting time, they hurry out to dry off and come back only a little worse for the wear, collars darkened with water and hair damp and flat to their foreheads.

Kijoon would expect Kyuhyun to be rattled, especially since the odds are good he hadn’t known to expect this kind of scolding. What kind of treatment do idols get anyway? Their fans certainly seem to fawn over them, and he seems to have gotten this casting without much fuss, so he's probably not used to this rough handling.

He turns back to try a different pair of boots, not recognizing the bitterness heavy on his tongue.

 

ㅎㅎㅎ

 

It’s been a long day for Kijoon and it's not even noon yet. He's just arrived from Monte Cristo practice to find that the Musketeers production is practicing fencing too. A part of him perversely appreciates the way his muscles complain already (though at least as D'Artagnan he only has  _one_ foil) and, making a mental note to return Publae's robe to the older man before practice ends, he trudges over to where the practice weapons are kept. 

He doesn't quite reach the rack before someone's foil clatters to the ground. It's a beyond-rookie mistake to drop the blade, even if it's a blunted practice sword, and Kijoon's eyes squeeze shut.

Sure enough, when he hazards a glance over, it's Kyuhyun.

He can feel a headache coming on.

 

ㅎㅎㅎ

 

It’s the end of another day of rehearsal, and the sun's already made its way down. The last rays are streaming through the gaps in between the buildings, illuminating the oddly-lit parking lot in conjunction with the harsh streetlights. Kijoon's helping Publae do a final sweep of the rehearsal hall, looking if something is out of place.

He doesn't expect to find some _one_ slumped in the corner and stops, disbelieving. Publae, noticing, turns to look.

A smile splits his face and he approaches and reaches down to gently shake Kyuhyun’s shoulder; after a few moments, the younger boy lifts his head wearily to meet his gaze.

“Sunbae?” he rasps, confusion in his face as he clears his throat. The script in his lap slides to the floor, and he looks at it, eyes wide. “Sunbae, I didn’t mean — I was just watching the rest of practice, I didn’t mean to close my eyes.”

Kyuhyun looks up then and jolts when he sees Kijoon standing a little ways away. “Sunbaenim!” he cries, scrambling upright as everything in his lap clatters to the ground, ignoring Publae’s chuckling.

Up close Kijoon can see hollows under his eyes that weren’t there last week, and a small part of him wonders what might be causing them. The rest of him gives over to exasperation as Publae starts telling Kyuhyun of how a certain double-cast of his had once managed to doze off not fifteen minutes before the curtain went up, and he huffs and leaves the room, catching up with the others in the hallway. By the time the two join them again, he's already forgotten the mild upset, concentrating on getting home and dinner.

“Kyuhyun, will you be alright heading home? It’s kind of late...”

Checking the time again, Kijoon blinks. It really is late, and it makes sense that Youngki’s concerned.

Kyuhyun’s still organizing his belongings into his bag, walking more slowly than usual. He looks up at the question and nods. “I’ll be fine, sunbae, but thank you for asking. I’ll just take the subway back like usual. Good night.”

Kijoon finds himself alone with Kyuhyun as Youngki heads out with Publae, wishing them a good night. It would be rude to ignore him, so he tries for small-talk. “Why don’t you call your manager to get you?”

Kyuhyun’s gaze drops to the ground and his fingers still on his phone, paused with a text message half tapped-out.

“They’re probably busy with the others, and this is just rehearsal -- not that rehearsal isn’t important, of course, I just mean that my hyungs are probably filming some show or other. Plus it’s only me, and well...I’ll get back fine, like I said. I always take the subway,” he shrugs, zipping his bag up and meeting Kijoon’s eyes. There’s an almost defensive quality to them that Kijoon doesn’t understand, but it fades into a reserved warmth as the other shoulders his bag. “I’ll be heading out then, sunbaenim. Good night.”

He wonders belatedly if he should have offered a ride home, but it’s too late to act on any sudden regret. Plus Kyuhyun is an adult, he tells himself. He’ll be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> what is proofreading bye


End file.
